


All Bark and No Bite

by kdinthecity



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: But Actually He's a Dog, F/M, Katara is a Dog Person, Surely This Has Been Done Before, The Spirits Be Messin, Zuko is a Good Boi, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-15
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:01:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25921738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kdinthecity/pseuds/kdinthecity
Summary: Zuko mistakingly summons a spirit's help and gets turned into a dog! A S2 divergence leading up to the Crossroads of Destiny in which Katara confesses everything to a cute and cuddly dog that lands on her doorstep. Zuko wants more than anything to be himself again, but admittedly, he wasn't sure who he wanted to be anyway. For now, being a dog in Ba Sing Se is a lot simpler than being a banished prince serving tea. Especially when belly rubs are involved!
Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 82





	1. Doggone It!

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Boogum](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Boogum/gifts).



Zuko has no idea how it happened.

One minute, he’s running from the Dai Li and cursing the upper ring for its apparent lack of darkened alleyways to aid in his escape. Of course he doesn’t know the lay of the land, yet. They only just arrived yesterday.

He is also cursing himself for not heeding his Uncle’s warning. He should have stayed to help set up the new tea shop instead of going around snooping. 

_Zuko, you never think these things through._

The Dai Li know the whereabouts of the Avatar’s bison. He heard them talking about it. If they hadn’t caught him eavesdropping, he might’ve learned where the Avatar and his friends are staying, too.

But now he is running through this spirits-forsaken city, cursing his own stupidity and praying to some unknown deity.

_Why couldn’t I just let sleeping dogs lie?_

He’s never been one to run and hide, but he can’t fight the Dai Li without his swords or outing himself as a firebender. Opportunity strikes, and Zuko ducks down a shadowy pathway lined with wooden crates. He’s too big to fit inside, but that doesn’t stop him from trying.

Somehow he squeezes in, and so he waits, panting. His senses heighten as the agents’ footsteps grow closer. He can smell their sweat, their earthiness. He can also smell soap from laundry hanging on the clotheslines overhead and someone, somewhere is cooking meat.

“Where did he go?” says Dai Li number one, a few steps away from Zuko’s hiding place.

He chokes down the growl rumbling in his throat and stifles the sudden urge to bite.

“I don’t know,” says number two, kicking Zuko’s crate. “The only thing here is this mangy mutt!”

At this, Zuko finally breaks. “"I am Zuko, son of Ursa and Fire Lord Ozai, prince of the Fire Nation and heir to the throne!”

He shouldn’t have said that. An array of possible repercussions flash in his mind, the worst of which is how Uncle will pay for this.

“Shut your yapping, stupid dog!” 

Zuko cocks his head to the side. That was not the response he expected.

The Dai Li leave without explanation. Zuko plops his head down, too exhausted to wonder why his arms are so soft and… furry.


	2. Prince or Pup?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By the way, I envision Zuko as some sort of Shepherd mix with a red-brown patch over his left eye. I posted a pic on Tumblr (same username). Also, this fic was inspired by "I Don't Speak Meow Language," by Boogum.

When Zuko awakes, it’s late in the day. The smell of meat is gone, but the memory of it lingers along with hunger pangs. He yawns, stretches, and lets out a full-body shake.

_Spirits, that felt good._

He detects a new smell that immediately sets him on edge. His ears perk up. He crouches down, ready to pounce.

_Yeowl._

Movement flashes past his left eye. His vision on that side has been impaired for years, but somehow it’s keener right now. He tracks the descent of three pygmy pumas from a nearby roof.

_Screeeeeeeeeeeeeeetch!_

He doesn’t even think, just leaps into action. Before he knows what he's doing, he’s chasing the wild cat triad and their unfortunate prey back onto the main street.

_But why?_

He runs on all fours for some reason, and he’s gaining on them with surprising speed. He even knows how fast a pygmy puma is. He tried to catch one once on Ember Island in hopes of making it a childhood pet. His efforts should be futile, but…

He nips at the heels of the puma bringing up the rear and barely misses. He doesn’t want to eat them or anything, just _herd_ them. The realization hits, and Zuko skids to a halt, staring hard at his _paws._

_What the—_

He spins around and around, following his long, furry body with his peripheral vision and trying to catch a glimpse of… _is that a tail?_ In his confusion, he nearly barrels into a circle of people watching some spectacle in the main square. He stops short at seeing his reflection in a puddle on the ground.

_I’m a dog!_

“Uncle! Help!” he barks.

The noise earns him a few sideways glances from the bystanders. A young child giggles and reaches out to pet him, but the mother waves a hand and says, “Shoo!”

Zuko cowers, shamed by the interaction. He’s nobody’s pet, but he’s not a pest, either.

_I’m a prince! Or I was… If Father saw me now… I’d never regain my honor._

One of the pumas prowling the perimeter of the scene snarls at him, and Zuko abandons all notions of self-pity. It’s a challenge, and he never gives up without a fight. At the same time he lunges, all three cats dart through the middle of the crowd. Another screech and a blur of white fur, and Zuko now knows what they’re after. It’s the Avatar’s pet.

He’s a dog-man on a mission.

The chase resumes down a series of winding streets, and the lemur just can’t shake them. One puma pins him down, and the other two are closing in, hissing and spitting. Zuko launches himself into the mix, a snarling whirlwind of snapping jaws and swiping claws.

“Get away from him!” he yells. 

His bark is loud, and the pumas pull back, seemingly threatened by the sound of it. Emboldened, he barks again and again until they finally scurry away. Zuko stands over the lemur and huffs. 

“That’s right. Go pick on someone your own size.”

The lemur faintly chitters his thanks.

Zuko looks down, concerned. “Are you hurt?” 

He wracks his brain for the name. _What was it… Jojo? No… Bono?_

“Momo!”

It’s the Water Tribe girl who travels with the Avatar. 

And Zuko is just standing here, unrecognizable—a literal dog. This can’t be destiny. It shouldn't even count as dumb luck.


	3. Puppy Love

“Aww, you poor thing. You’re hurt,” the waterbender says with a furrowed brow.

Zuko just stares at her, half-shocked at her audacity. _What? Who? Me?_

She bites her lip in concentration and pulls something blue and glowing from the waterskin across her shoulder. She slowly reaches toward him and places cool fingertips on his forehead. 

“Shhh, it’s OK,” she whispers.

Momo clambers on top of the waterbender’s head and chirps sympathetically.

Zuko didn’t even know he’d been injured, yet he’s never felt anything so soothing, either. He doesn’t even recognize the sound he is making.

_The peasant is petting me and I’m… whimpering._

She looks around the city’s bustling streets and then back at Zuko with ocean-blue eyes, deep with concern.

“Are you lost?” she asks, then laughs. “Of course, you probably don’t understand me.”

Zuko tilts his head to one side, a gesture that just comes naturally.

“Are you hungry?”

Zuko nods—very un-dog-like, he realizes.

She’s delighted. “You _do_ understand me!” She stands and takes a few steps back, beckoning him with outstretched hands. He loathes to follow her like a helpless lost puppy but… _those wonderful healing hands._

“Well, come on then. Come back to the house with me, and I’ll get you some food.”

Maybe this is dumb luck after all, to land himself among the Avatar’s company so easily. Zuko trots alongside her, momentarily forgetting what’s most pressing—how did he get this way? He hasn’t even considered what it would take to change back to human. The dog brain is… a little simple… and very distractible.

_Is that a toad-squirrel?_

_Ooooh, a rabbit-mole!_

Zuko fights the hunter’s instinct and focuses on the freely offered food he doesn’t have to kill to eat. He weighs the varying levels of dignity he needs to maintain as they meander through the upper ring.

He was holding out for… seal jerky, apparently. He huffs his disappointment.

“I’m sorry. It’s all I have.” 

She looks almost sad, and Zuko immediately wishes he could take it back. Again, he wracks his dog brain. He needs to call her something besides _waterbender_ in his internal monologuing.

_Is it… Katara?_

He barks out her name, and she flashes a brief smile. It’s a glorious sight, and he might just do anything to see it again.

Impressed by this sudden and surprising need to please her, he eats eagerly. Seal jerky is really not so bad, he decides—salty, yet satisfying. She scratches the top of his head, and at this, he just… melts. She smiles again, and he’s officially undone—completely devoted.

Even though a small voice deep inside says, “She’s the enemy.” It sounds like Azula’s sneering.

Katara ruffles his left ear, and he snaps back to attention. She’s dangerously close to his scar, and _no one_ touches it, especially not a peasant. _Katara,_ he corrects himself.

He flinches, and she quickly pulls back her hand. “I’m so sorry. It’s just—“ She eyes him curiously. “—these are interesting markings. They remind me of…”

She trails off and looks away. And for the first time since arriving, Zuko wonders, _where are the others?_

“Sokka is gonna kill me if I let you eat all the seal jerky,” she says, almost wistfully.

That must be her brother’s name. “Hey! Where is Sokka, anyway?” he yelps.

She laughs, scratches his head, and promises to stop by the butcher after her meeting with the Earth King.


	4. The Tale of Momo (and Zuko)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter! ElloreBreslin, I liked the idea of being under Katara's spell and yes,   
> Imtooinvested_but_ohwell, Zuko needs all the love (and pets).

When Katara leaves, Zuko regains some clarity. He curses himself for being so spellbound by a simple snack and head pats. He curses himself for ending up in this predicament. He can’t very well capture the Avatar and return home in this state.

A small voice deep inside says, “Do you really want to go home, Zuko?” It sounds like Uncle’s cajoling. 

He paces the room, mentally retracing his steps from earlier in the day. At what point did he transform? The Dai Li chased him down an alleyway, and then…

Momo enters his field of view and releases a piercing string of chitters and screeches. It’s like he’s trying to tell him something.

“Do you know how I got this way?” Zuko barks.

Bat-like ears perk up and glassy green eyes widen. “Chirp, chirp?”

“Do you understand what I’m saying?”

Momo tilts his head. “Chirp?”

Zuko plops down on the ground and covers his nose with his paws. He doesn’t know how the animal world works. Does a lemur understand dog language? A dog can’t speak lemur, apparently, but maybe a real dog could, and Zuko is limited because he’s just human.

A real dog wouldn’t be just a dog, either. It would be a polar bear dog or a gopher-dog or a …

“Goat-dog feed,” Katara says while placing a sack of grain in front of Zuko’s face. The fur along his spine bristles at the interruption. Somehow his super keen dog senses didn’t hear her come in.

_Why am I so bad at being a dog?_

Katara looks at him apologetically. “It’s all the butcher would give me. Meat is expensive here, and we need to ration. Once Aang gets back, we’ll leave Ba Sing Se to prepare for the invasion.”

Zuko lurches to all fours and paws at the ground. “Where’s the Avatar? What invasion?”

“Chirp. Chatter. Screech!” Momo adds his piece.

Katara seemingly ignores the lemur-dog frenzy and pours the sad excuse for food into a small bowl. She picks up a scroll and runs her finger along its crease. “I’ve got to take this message to the Council of Five. I’ll be right back.”

This time, Zuko backs away when she tries to pet him. He won’t fall for that again.

When she leaves for the second time, Momo shows Zuko the open window. He chitters and squeaks, and Zuko takes it to mean, “You can come and go as you please.”

_I should go find Uncle. Maybe he’ll know what to do. If he can even tell it’s me…_

But once back outside on the street, his senses are overwhelmed and disorienting. Everything is so intense, especially the smells and sounds. He has also acquired this lemur-shaped shadow he can’t seem to shake. 

“Chirp chirp!” Momo says, and Zuko finally gets it. _Follow me…_

Momo leads him down a labyrinth of pathways that he couldn’t retrace if he tried. The smell of meat intensifies, and Zuko nearly jumps for joy when he figures out their destination. 

_Is that pig-chicken sausage?_

_Mmm, turkey duck giblets!_

_Boar-q-pine bacon? My favorite!_

He’s like a kid in a candy store. Not that a Fire Nation prince ever got a trip to the candy store, but still. In his excitement, the entrance of a very disgruntled butcher catches him off guard. Zuko and Momo duck under a table and squeeze behind a large basket just in time.

The man paces the length of the shop and runs a hand across his grizzled face. “Always late,” he mumbles.

The distinct sound of rickety wheels scraping across loose gravel draws the butcher’s attention outdoors. “Finally!” he says.

 _Finally!_ Zuko echos. Let the feast begin!

He snarls and scarfs in a very un-prince-like manner. Momo just perches nearby and watches him with wide marble eyes.

“You want some?” Zuko asks in between bites of ground hippo-ox.

Momo scurries across the table and swipes a small piece of fruit from a bushel of lychee. He chitters contentedly.

_Right. Air Nomad._

They both startle at the raised voices of two men haggling. The butcher says the price is too high for what the other is offering. Zuko stalks toward the door, his curiosity getting the better of him. He’s drawn to the strangely familiar smell that wafts in.

_It’s those pesky pygmy pumas!_

Zuko feels a snarl tug at his upper lip, but he then realizes the full extent of the situation. Those poor caged cats are about to become somebody’s dinner!

_Who eats puma anyway? Is that some kind of Earth Kingdom delicacy?_

The merchant semi-answers his question. “I’m sorry the pickins are slim today, sir! I’ve been pretty limited with the new hunting permits the Dai Li issued last week.”

Momo looks at the pumas sympathetically, and Zuko knows what he’s thinking. _Of course_ the Avatar’s pet wants to rescue the same cats that tried to eat him.

Zuko is no pacifist, but he does have a soft spot for the helpless. He and Momo make a silent agreement, and when the men move their discussion indoors, dog and lemur leap into action.

Momo unlocks the first cage with ease while Zuko paws at the second lock unsuccessfully. 

_Must be nice to have an opposable thumb, huh?_

He huffs his annoyance and uses his teeth instead. He assumes a pouncing position just in case the pumas try to attack, but all the animals abide by an unspoken pact to make a fast getaway.

That was…. pretty exhilarating, Zuko thinks. Saving the cats. Stealing the meat.

He’s not prepared for the way pygmy pumas say thanks. He’s received more snuggles in one day as a dog than his entire life as a prince.


End file.
